South Carolina WBB’s Dawn Staley praises ‘good human being’ Cori Close after championship blowout

Dawn Staley showed major respect for Cori Close following the South Carolina Gamecocks’ 79-51 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the women’s national championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Staley has been the Gamecocks’ head coach since the 2008-09 season, while Close has led the Bruins’ direction since the 2011-12 campaign. Both coaches have enjoyed remarkable runs in the NCAA Tournament, with Staley winning three national championships.

Close has experienced multiple runs to the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight but didn’t get past those rounds until the 2024-25 campaign. They got to the Final Four but fell short after losing to eventual champions UConn. They finally got over the hump this season by reaching the national championship game and beating Staley’s Gamecocks squad. This allowed Close and UCLA to claim their first-ever national championship.

Staley reflected on the loss after the game, per reporter Grace Raynor. She gave Close her props as she showed humility and respect for one of her fellow colleagues in the coaching sphere.

“Although we didn’t win, I can swallow it because we lost to a really good human being and a good team that represents women’s basketball well,” Staley said.

How Dawn Staley, South Carolina performed against UCLA

Dawn Staley knows that Cori Close and UCLA are more than deserving of the national championship this year. South Carolina just didn’t have it on the offensive side of the ball, suffering a blowout loss in the final game of the 2025-26 campaign.

Only two players scored in double-digits for South Carolina in the loss. Tessa Johnson led the team with 14 points, three rebounds and one assist on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Agot Makeer came next with 11 points and two rebounds, while Joyce Edwards provided eight points and 11 rebounds.

South Carolina ended the campaign with a 36-4 overall record, having gone 15-1 in its SEC matchups. They will look to retool throughout the offseason, hoping to get back to the mountaintop they last reached in 2024.

The post South Carolina WBB’s Dawn Staley praises ‘good human being’ Cori Close after championship blowout appeared first on ClutchPoints.